Chapter 12
The white smoke from the incense sticks thinned, and the flame flickered.
Suddenly, a few faint lights appeared in the dark distance, like a few stars shining in the night sky, faint yet bright.
Footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and someone announced from the veranda, "Master, Young Master Chen is outside the estate, requesting an audience."
Gu Zhizhuo's eyebrows and eyes softened instantly, and small dimples appeared on her cheeks.
She tossed aside the black pieces in her hand, leaned slightly forward toward the door, her heart suddenly pounding, a feeling of trepidation akin to being close to home.
Sheng Jiang couldn't help but glance at her. How could she be so accurate? Could this girl really be a fortune teller?
What she just said, about the Chief Eunuch...
His heart skipped a beat, and he felt as if he had learned something terrible, and that he might not live to see the end of the night.
Shen Xu's gaze fell on Gu Zhizhuo's face.
Just a moment ago, she was only looking at herself, but now, she didn't even glance in this direction.
Interesting. He chuckled softly, "Since he has the guts to come, I will certainly meet him."
"Bring him here."
A voice responded from outside.
Gu Zhizhuo clasped his hands together, his fingers unconsciously tightening slightly.
She had waited for this moment for a very, very long time, an entire lifetime.
In their previous life, on the road to exile, the entire Gu family was infected with the plague. They first developed red rashes, then developed high fevers, their bodies burning hot, and within a few days, they collapsed one after another.
The escorting officers kept saying it was bad luck, and fearing they would also be infected, they locked them all in a mortuary full of dead people.
At that time, they were still alive.
There was no food, no water, and no medicine.
The aunt used the jewelry she had secretly hidden to bribe them, hoping to at least send them some medicine.
As a result, the jewelry was stolen, and the aunt did not return alive.
Later, my grandmother died.
Gu Zhizhuo watched helplessly as his family struggled, and his cousins breathed their last in pain and hunger.
They died one by one before her eyes, rotting and stinking.
She was powerless to do anything.
She was so ill that she couldn't move and lay in the darkness waiting to die.
Just when she thought she would close her eyes forever in this place filled with corruption, sunlight shone into this dark hell.
The tightly locked door of the mortuary was opened.
She saw him standing in the light, and that voice etched into her soul—
"I'm here, I'm not afraid."
"My lord, Young Master Chen has arrived."
This sentence pulled Gu Zhizhuo out of her memories.
The door opened from the outside, and the light from the glass lamp shone on a young man.
His black hair was tied up, adorned with a white jade crown. His eyebrows and eyes were like jade, and he was dignified and gentle. Although he did not have the breathtaking handsomeness of Shen Xu, he possessed a noble air that defied description. Every gesture he made was elegant, leisurely, and unhurried.
It's the young master!
Gu Zhizhuo stood up instinctively, his face filled with joy and affection.
Anyone could sense her good mood.
Xie Yingchen lifted his long robe and stepped in. His slightly scrutinizing gaze lingered on her for a moment before turning to Shen Xu and smiling, "So it is Chief Eunuch Shen who has come in person." This casual attitude was as if he were facing an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
Shen Xu clapped his hands casually and said, "Young Master Chen really has a lot of courage."
Xie Yingchen cupped his hands in greeting, and after saying "I dare not accept such praise," he covered his mouth with his sleeve and coughed lightly, coughing seven or eight times.
His pale face showed obvious signs of illness, which made Gu Zhizhuo frown.
Having returned from Liang, the young master must have been exhausted and worn out both physically and mentally.
What you need now is a good rest!
“Lord Shen,” Gu Zhizhuo said, pointing to the incense stick, “the incense has burned out.”
The last glimmer of light from the incense stick went out completely at this moment.
Gu Zhizhuo tapped the chessboard in front of him lightly with his fingers, raised his chin, and said proudly, "I told you, I am the Master Calculator."
"Now that we've met the person, why don't you consider what I've suggested, Chief Supervisor?"
"A pond of water that remains still for too long becomes stagnant water; only when it is stirred up will the fish rush to the surface."
"You agree, don't you?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yingchen seemed to be deep in thought.
From the moment he stepped through that door, he took in everything around him and naturally noticed the tense atmosphere that was brewing beneath the surface.
He glanced at the chessboard on the table, and after listening to Gu Zhizhuo's profound words, there was nothing he didn't understand.
Xie Yingchen smiled faintly on his slightly pale face and said meaningfully, "Chief Supervisor Shen, if we are fortunate enough to return to the capital, how about we have a drink together?"
Shen Xu looked at the sickly-looking young man in front of him with interest. After a moment, he clapped his hands lightly, and the Buddhist beads fell between his fingers, swaying with his movements.
"interesting."
His ability to arrive in the capital region alive, right under the nose of the Eastern Depot, shows his cunning.
He dared to ignore the inescapable net and stand face to face with me; that takes guts.
This young master Chen aroused his interest.
“Young Master Chen.” He stood up, flicked his sleeves, and said, “I’m waiting to see if you are qualified to sit at the same table as me and drink this cup.”
Xie Yingchen smiled and said, "I will definitely pay a visit."
Shen Xu nodded almost imperceptibly, then strode away with an upright posture.
The glow of the glass lamp enveloped his face, highlighting the striking red mole at the corner of his eye. His slightly raised eyebrows seemed to foreshadow his good mood.
Sheng Jiang lowered his head and followed closely behind him, not daring to speculate.
Shen Xu left decisively, taking everyone with him.
Zhuangzi returned to calm once again, as if the clash of swords and shadows had never existed.
Is he really gone?
Accompanying Xie Yingchen was a handsome young man with delicate features. He opened his mouth in disbelief, then quickly closed it again.
When the young master decided to make this trip himself, he said that since the other party had already been exposed, he would never act rashly again.
The young master also said: "This trip has two purposes: to resolve my doubts and to establish cooperation." He understood the question of resolving doubts; the young master wanted to know who was secretly helping them. As for cooperation... he still didn't quite understand! He scratched his head, feeling that he was too stupid to have come all this way for nothing.
Gu Zhizhuo's tense nerves relaxed, and his brows and eyes brightened.
That living devil is finally gone!
The moment she looked up and her eyes met Xie Yingchen's, she didn't want to look away.
Xie Yingchen kept looking at her.
He had a vague feeling that she recognized him. He cupped his hands in thanks and said solemnly, "Thank you for saving me, young lady."
An indescribable emotion flickered in Gu Zhizhuo's beautiful phoenix eyes. Her lips parted slightly, but many words she wanted to say remained stuck in her throat, finally culminating in a single sentence:
"Young Master Xie, you are about to die."
The young man was speechless. He almost blurted out: If you can't speak properly, then don't speak!
Xie Yingchen's eyes and brows were full of smiles as he said in a relaxed tone, "Yes."
As soon as he finished speaking, he started coughing again, even more violently than before, and a flush rose on his pale face.
Without a second thought, Gu Zhizhuo strode over and, to his astonishment, took his hand and began kneading his acupoints. Her pressure varied, with a unique rhythm and technique; after only a few strokes, Xie Yingchen's cough suddenly stopped.
The young man looked completely bewildered.
The young master caught a cold a month ago and developed a cough. They had consulted several doctors along the way, but the medicines they took were not very effective, and his condition remained fluctuating.
She pressed it like that, and it was fine?
He asked impatiently, "Little girl, tell me quickly, how did you do that?"
Xie Yingchen: "Qin Chen, you mustn't be rude."
Qin Chen bowed respectfully, his eyes lowered, and asked, "...Miss, may I ask how you press it?"
Gu Zhizhu glared at Qin Chen.
The young master is frail; even a minor cold can leave him ill for a long time, or even endanger his life. His coughing like this must mean they haven't taken good care of him along the way!
Qin Chen was bewildered by the glare and touched his nose.
"My surname is Gu. My late father was the Duke of Zhenguo. His given name was Gu Shang and Tao Tao Xia." Gu Zhizhuo briefly explained his identity and then made a "please sit down" gesture. "Thank you, young master. Let me take your pulse."
Qin Chen exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Girl, how old are you? You really know medicine? Who taught you? The Gu family makes a living through martial arts, how come the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo is studying medicine..."
"Shut up," Gu Zhizhuo retorted irritably.
This guy is so noisy, he looks really unreliable.
Xie Yingchen seemed to be deep in thought.
He considered himself quite good at judging people, but he couldn't understand Gu Zhizhuo.
In her dark, clear eyes, he saw no self-interest, only a pure and unadulterated kindness.
"Thank you, young lady."
Xie Yingchen readily agreed and sat down, then rolled up his long sleeves and extended his hand.
His wrists were very thin, an unhealthy white, and the veins beneath the skin were clearly visible.
Gu Zhizhuo tried to calm herself down and placed three fingers on his pulse.
In their previous life, they consulted many renowned doctors of the time, but all of them shook their heads and sighed at the young master's illness.
She refused to accept her fate and studied medicine diligently.
Ultimately, it was too late.
She couldn't save her own disfigured face.
It wouldn't save the young master's life either.
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes stung, and her thick eyelashes drooped slightly, concealing her moist eye sockets.
Her fingers trembled as she pressed them on Xie Yingchen's pulse, leaving Qin Chen completely bewildered. He wondered: What school of medicine does this girl have? Does she have to tremble to take a pulse?
Gu Zhizhuo felt the pulse under his fingers.
One, two, three...
Each pulse reading calmed her heart a little more, and once she had accurately felt the pulse, her fingers were as steady as a rock.
Gu Zhizhuo lowered his hand and hit the nail on the head: "Young Master has been poisoned."
Qin Chen's slightly dismissive expression suddenly froze upon hearing these words, almost unable to believe his ears.
Many people know that the young master is frail and sickly, but over the years, no one has ever been able to diagnose that he has been poisoned simply by taking his pulse.
Xie Yingchen smiled and said, "Yes."
Gu Zhizhuo continued, "This poison was from six years ago. At that time, thanks to rare and precious herbs, the young master managed to overcome it. However, the residual poison has not been eliminated, and the chronic illness has not been cured. Every moment, he is overdrawing his energy and depleting his lifespan."
Her eyelids were lowered, and her eyelashes trembled slightly, leaving a faint reflection.
"On the way back to Beijing, you were exhausted and your spirit was greatly damaged."
She said earnestly, "You're risking your life to survive; this is unacceptable."
Xie Yingchen could indeed feel his body deteriorating day by day.
He knew he didn't have many years left to live.
He also knew that he couldn't die yet.
His life or death is a matter of life and death for many people.
Xie Yingchen readily admitted, "The young lady is absolutely right."
"Does the young lady know how much longer I have to live?"
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